Meet the Editor

Good Books for Tough Times was edited by Caroline Egar, Partnership for Children's Programme Director. This was a very different project from her normal work of managing Zippy's Friends worldwide, but one that she enjoyed enormously.

‘I've always loved reading, and can remember being read to by my mother when I was a child,' she explains. ‘For me, reading is one of the most enjoyable ways to spend the odd hour. Reading a good book is so enjoyable and absorbing and takes you out of your everyday life, and that in itself is both relaxing and stimulating. That was one of the reasons why I did a degree in English Literature - it's something I've always been interested in.'

After university, Caroline trained as an English teacher, and taught English in Japan and West Africa. An important part of the job was encouraging and helping children to enjoy books. Later she worked in educational publishing for three years, and volunteered at her children's primary school.

‘I helped children to develop their reading skills. Some of them were really struggling, but others were very able, and they could all choose a book appropriate to their own level. The received wisdom was that boys really didn't enjoy reading books, but on the day that the latest Harry Potter book was published you saw lots of boys coming in, clutching copies that they'd stayed up to midnight to buy and read.

‘In fact, it's a growing area of publishing. Just look at Jacqueline Wilson and J K Rowling - clearly, millions of children are reading their books, and it's the same with a number of other very popular children's authors. So, despite the fact that children now have access to all sorts of other media, they're still reading books.'

But when children encounter difficult situations - being bullied at school, having a baby brother or sister, Mum and Dad splitting up - it can be difficult for parents to find the right book.

‘When my daughter's best friend was six, her mother died of cancer. She went to live with relatives in Ireland, and I wanted to send something that her aunt could read with her. But when I went to look in bookshops, it was actually very hard to find anything. I bought Badger's Parting Gifts, which is a classic, but that experience made me think that there must be many people who want to find books for all sorts of difficult situations for a child, and it's really hard to know where to start and to know which ones are good.'

The concept of Good Books for Tough Times was born - a short, independent guide for parents, teachers, librarians and booksellers, highlighting some of the best books available.

Caroline first contacted Booktrust, a charity which promotes reading among people of all ages. Booktrust receives copies of every book that is published in the UK, and recommends those which it thinks are particularly good. It kindly agreed to share both its own reviews and its extensive library.

‘Booktrust recommends books right across the spectrum, about anything and everything,' says Caroline. ‘I looked at them all and chose the ones that were relevant to the themes that Zippy's Friends covers, and a few more were suggested by teachers and Zippy's Friends co-ordinators. Then I obviously needed to read them all. The Booktrust collection is at Newcastle University library, and so I spent a few days there, reading a lot of books. Trying to read a spine that is 2mm wide along a shelf with several hundred others that are also 2mm wide was quite hard, and my eyes were pretty tired by the end!'

Good Books for Tough Times lists 59 books. How were they chosen?

‘I looked for a sensitive take on the issues, books which tackled them in a way which would be helpful for children. And I only chose books that were in some way remarkable - very well-written, perhaps, or beautifully illustrated. Books for children of this age - five to eight year olds - are always illustrated. In fact, some are mostly illustrations, with just a few words.'

Did any one book make a particular impression?

‘The one I found terribly sad was I'll Always Love You, because it reminded me of when my dog died when I was a child. I think reading this book then would really have helped me, knowing that the same thing had happened to someone else.'

Last year, a first edition of Good Books for Tough Times was sent to public libraries across the UK.

‘I was very pleased that the feedback from children's librarians was so positive. They confirmed what we'd already heard from booksellers - that a lot of people come in and ask for this type of book.'

A second edition of the guide has now been printed and, with generous sponsorship from The Dulverton Trust, copies have been sent to 23,000 primary school head teachers. The guide is also online. Books can be ordered directly from the website, with part of the sale price coming to Partnership for Children. Printed copies are available from our office, and have also been sent to our international partner agencies, for them to develop similar guides in their own languages.

‘I hope Good Books for Tough Times is something that can reach out into people's homes, and reach the general public in a way that Zippy's Friends can't because it's delivered through schools. This can be picked up by anyone. You don't even have to be someone who buys books, because most of the titles will be in your local library.

‘It's quite difficult for parents to know how to talk to children about difficult issues. They may know that their child is unhappy, and they might even know the reason, but finding a way in to talk about it can be difficult. Rather than confronting a child, which may not be very productive, a gentler way is to sit down with a lovely book. The child can talk about the character in the story rather than about themselves. So, if you suspect that your son is being bullied, you might sit down with Hugo and the Bully Frogs and your son can talk about Hugo being bullied, rather than about himself. It's also just a very nice way for parents and children to come together. That often happens at bedtime, and setting aside even just 10 or 15 minutes can be sufficient, because most of these books are fairly short.'

What's next?

‘If we can just find some funding, I'd love to produce another version for slightly older children,' says Caroline.

 

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